OPERATION: LIVECRIME

Operation Mindcriime in its entirety live...what else do you need to say? As a CD this is a must-have for QR devotees but totally useless for anyone else. If you want OM the studio release is a better version, as little is changed here but it has the drawbacks of live production.

For QR fans the CD in its entirety is the attraction and everything is as desired. The band sounds great, Tate's vocals are spot-on. Every song is played, although with little improvisation or additions to the studio version. The one exception is the conclusion to Eyes of a Stranger. Unlike the studio version, which ends with a swirling psychedelic soundscape....here the band returns to the military drum-driven Anarchy-X. This works beautifully, bringing the entire concept full circle and providing a much more satisfying conclusion. Also, Roads to Madness is a bonus song. This is perhaps my all-time favorite QR song and this is the only full live version available and it is done well.

(Sidenote....I can vividly recall the concert which was divided between the first half, consisting mostly of EMPIRE and the second half consisting entirely of OM. The first half concluded with RTM and had the crowd in a frenzy...as the lights died down with the last notes, the click-click-click of the well-known nurses heels could be heard signaling the beginning to OM and the fans just went nuts...a very memorable concert moment).

Again...for QR fans a must-have but for others nothing available here that you can't find elsewhere.